Random bits have found valuable applications in many fields such as cryptography, games of chance, scientific calculus and/or statistical studies. In these applications, the randomness of the generated random bits is of great importance since their predictability can lead to unsecure communication, to cheating and/or unreliable scientific results, for instance.
The expression “random” is used in a relatively liberal manner in the field of random bit generators because the bit streams which are produced are typically known to have a certain level of deterministicity (i.e., to be not purely random). Several approaches have been developed in a manner to assess the quality of the randomness in random bit samples, such as the statistical test suite for random bit generators developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Characteristics which are sought from random bit generators include the quality of randomness, the ability to produce random bits at a relatively high rate, pricing, footprint, etc. There thus remains room for improvement in providing a suitable device for producing random bit generation.